Paris Olympics 2024: Why is Abha Khatua not a part of the Indian contingent, as per reports, despite qualifying through World Rankings?
The surprise exclusion of Indian shot putter Abha Khatua from the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024 has raised eyebrows and sparked much speculation.
Despite securing Olympic qualification through the World Athletics Rankings and finishing 21st on the Road to Paris 2024 list, Khatua's name was notably missing from the final entry list released by World Athletics (WA) and subsequently by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Initially, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had included Khatua in their list of athletes set to compete in Paris. The AFI announced a 30-member track and field team but the final list now only contains 29 members.
This discrepancy has left many wondering about the reasons behind Khatua’s exclusion, especially given her impressive performance earlier this year.
The 29-year-old athlete from West Bengal set a national record with a throw of 18.41m in May 2024 at the Federation Cup, making her a strong contender for a spot in the Indian athletics contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Khatua, alongside her teammates, departed for Spala in Turkey on July 11, where India's Olympic-bound athletics contingent was training.
However, just a day later, her name was absent from the list of track and field participants published by World Athletics. This sudden change has led to a flurry of questions and concerns from fans and experts alike.
Abha Khatua’s exclusion from the Paris Olympics 2024 may be due to DSD regulations - Reports
According to reports, Abha Khatua’s exclusion might be linked to the Differences of Sex Development (DSD) regulations. The sources say that World Athletics may have blocked her entry due to non-compliance with the DSD. These regulations are designed to control the participation of female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels in certain events.
It is speculated that Abha Khatua’s blood samples were collected by officials from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) during the Asian Championships 2023 in Bangkok and, more recently, during the Inter-State meet in Panchkula.
While there has been no official statement from the AFI regarding the exact reason for Khatua’s exclusion, sources suggest that it came as an unexpected development.